News & Notes

This prestigious award recognizes a woman involved in the field of international trade who has made an outstanding contribution to her profession, and in so doing, enhanced the status of women in international trade. The award recipient’s character, integrity, knowledge and dedication to her profession make her a role model in the field of international trade.You MUST be a member of CWIT to nominate a potential recipient of this award. The nominee need not be a member of Charleston Women in International Trade (CWIT).

Coastal bird populations face multiple threats, including habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, increased predation and sea level rise, and an innovative public-private partnership needs to raise $1.2 million between now and December 14th in order to take advantage of a prime opportunity to address this problem in South Carolina.

Populations of many coastal bird species have declined by 70 percent during the last forty to sixty years, and the Palmetto State is a critical link in preserving these birds; numerous species of nesting and migrating birds visit our coastline each year, including a remarkable 38 percent of all the nesting brown pelicans on the East Coast during summer and some of the largest colonies of skimmers and terns in the Southeast.

To help address the growing threats to these birds, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) established the South Carolina Coastal Bird Conservation Program, supported by groups including Audubon South Carolina, Coastal Expeditions, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

The program’s first project -- raising approximately $2 million needed to take advantage of a cost-share opportunity to renourish Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary in Charleston Harbor – has gotten off to a good start, with more than $340,000 raised so far, but more is needed in order to meet the December deadline for SCDNR’s obligation to fund their portion of the renourishment project, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers providing the rest, a little more than $2.6 million.

Crab Bank, one of five designated seabird sanctuaries owned by the SCDNR, has been nationally recognized as an Audubon Important Bird Area. In the past, Crab Bank has provided nesting habitat for as many as 5,000 birds in a single nesting season, including large colonies of brown pelicans, terns, black skimmers, egrets and herons, and a few dozen American oystercatchers. Due to wave erosion over the past 50 years and Hurricane Irma in 2017, all the available nesting habitat on Crab Bank was washed away, removing any opportunity for nesting birds during the 2018 season.

A long-awaited dredging project to deepen the federal channel in Charleston Harbor holds the key to saving Crab Bank. Overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the “Post-45” Charleston Harbor Deepening Project is expected to reach areas of the Lower Harbor in the early part of 2019, giving the Coastal Bird Conservation Program until December 2018 to raise the funds needed to help cost-share the renourishment of Crab Bank with the dredged material from the deepening project. As many as 80 acres could be restored, which would provide 28 acres of upland habitat for nesting and loafing coastal birds.“Crab Bank, if renourished, can produce hundreds of thousands of young birds over the next fifty years” said SCDNR Wildlife Biologist Felicia Sanders.

​Individuals interested in supporting or learning more about this important endeavor will find more detailed information on the Coastal Bird Conservation website at: www.sccoastalbirds.org.

Each November, the The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association sponsors a meeting to focus on topics of interest to our members. We bring together our members, the US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, US Coast Guard, MARAD, elected officials, business leaders and others who have a stake in the waterway. Our meetings cover a series of topics that are important to waterway users. This year, we are excited to welcome presentations on the following topics:

State of the Waterway in 2018, including hurricane recovery efforts

Jekyll Island, Georgia Thin-Layer Placement Demonstration Project

Presentations from our federal partners at NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard, MARAD and the Federal Highway Administration

We are also looking forward to the participation of:Mayor John Tecklenburg, City of CharlestonLt. Colonel. Jeffrey Palazzini, USACE- Charleston District CommanderCaptain John Reed, USCG- Sector Charleston Commander

CLIENT ADVISORY:526 Update 5: WWT & NCT Gate AdvisoryThe S.C. Department of Transportation has announced that the repaired westbound lanes of the I-526 bridge over the Wando River will reopen tomorrow, Saturday, June 2, more than a week ahead of schedule. However, extended gate hours at the Port of Charleston will continue for another week in order to keep freight moving as efficiently as possible and to clear any potential backlog.

This is a request and call for nominations on behalf of NOAA's Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP). NOAA and Rear Admiral Shepard Smith, the Designated Federal Officer, and the Director, Office of Coast Survey, and NOAA seek 5 new (and /or renewing) members for a four year term that starts January 1, 2019, and runs through 2022.

If you have a very well qualified recommendation for an HSRP nomination for 2019, can you please share this information and encourage their nomination? NOAA is accepting nominations on a rolling basis at any time and no later than May 25, 2018. If selected, the term starts January 1, 2019. There are 2 public meetings each year as well as informational administrative meetings monthly. The Federal Register Notice (FRN) with information and instructions about how to apply, including a list of short answer questions, is attached and at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/02/14/2018-02969/hydrographic-services-review-panel . The nominee should make sure to satisfy the 5 questions and to submit a complete application with a short bio of no more than 350 words.

To apply for membership on the Panel, nominees are requested to submit the following five items and respond to five questions. The entire package should be a maximum length of eight pages or fewer. NOAA is an equal opportunity employer. 1) A cover letter that responds to the five questions listed below and serves as a statement of interest to serve on the panel. Please see “Short Response Questions” below. 2) Highlight the nominee’s specific area(s) of expertise relevant to the purpose of the Panel from the list in the Federal Register Notice. 3) A current resume. 4) A short biography of no more than 350 words. 5) The nominee’s full name, title, institutional affiliation, mailing address, email, phone, fax and contact information.

Short Response Questions: ​1) List the area(s) of expertise, as listed above, which you would best represent on this Panel. 2) List the geographic region(s) of the country with which you primarily associate your expertise. 3) Describe your leadership or professional experiences which you believe will contribute to the effectiveness of this panel. 4) Describe your familiarity and experience with NOAA navigation data, products, and services. 5) Generally describe the breadth and scope of stakeholders, users, or other groups whose views and input you believe you can share with the panel.

The nominee will receive an acknowledgement response after submitting the package. I am happy to answer questions or chat with possible candidates on the process, timing, and requirements. The process can take 6 months or more from the closing date of May 25 and applicants can expect to hear back in Fall 2018.

Come learn about industry updates, cutting edge robotics to reinforce security, innovative software along with IT management, and much more at our May Industry Forum. Come learn and network with peers from the logistics community.

This event will be held at 1:30 PM at the International Lonshoremen's Association (1142 Morrison Drive, Charleston, SC 29403). This industry forum will be packed with great information that you won't want to miss.

Maritime Memorial Day will be held at 12:00 Noon on board the Yorktown at Patriots Point on November 2nd.

This is a ceremony to honor all of the individuals who have helped to make the Charleston Waterfront Community what it is today. A caring group of individuals who continue work hard, care for their families and grease the wheels of commerce throughout the state of South Carolina as well as much of the United States.

Please email me a list of all of your organizations members who have passed away since October 1 of last year. If you can also provide an address we will try to notify the families of the service also.

Who Are We?ServisFirst Bank is a commercial bank with an organizational structure tailored to provide banking services to clients with local decision making and service that is second to none.

What regions do you serve? ServisFirst Bank is client centered and through this we provide banking services to local clients, whether their depository and financing needs are in the Charleston tri-county area or most any state in the continental US. We use the latest banking technology to conveniently deliver these banking services to clients regardless of their location.

What is one thing our members may not know about you?We have a very flat organizational structure. Our clients & prospects are dealing with the decision makers every day.”

What are you most proud of?We are proud of the relationships we have built with our clients over the years and are pleased that the corporate structure of ServisFirst Bank allows us to continually meet our client’s banking needs with personal service and decisions made locally; not by someone in another city or state who only looks at numbers.